Patna: Dozens of girl students enrolled in a government school in Bihar suffered serious burns when a school official put burning coal on their palms as a punishment after her mobile phone went missing.

The incident took place at Kasturba Gandhi Residential Girls School located at Nurullahpur village in Begusarai district earlier this week, but was reported to the police only today.

As per reports, the cell phone of the school warden Kehkashan Naz went missing on Monday, and she suspected the students were responsible.

In a fit of rage, she brought in burning coal and began putting it on the palms of girls one by one saying those who had stolen her cell phone would have their hands burnt. But her action ended up burning the hands of over a dozen girls.

“Quite many of us had our hands burnt as she [school warden] put burning coal on our palms,” students Manisha Kumari and Nisha Kumari told the education department officials in their complaint. Both the girls suffered serious burns in the process.

According to the victims, many of the students have fled the school out of fear in the aftermath of the incident — perhaps the first such in Bihar.

The education department has ordered action against the warden. “Prima facie, the incident has been found to be true. I have recommended action against her,” a senior education department official, Ravi Kumar, told the media on Saturday.

Last month, a college girl suspected of stealing a cell phone was stripped naked and allegedly paraded inside the campus hostel by other students in Jharkhand, prompting the government to order an investigation.

The incident took place in a girl’s hostel at Santhal Pargana women’s college in Dumka district. The victim is from the tribal community.

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